The new tool allows users to ask questions in their own words and search across the knowledge held by NASC and CISRS, rather than working through individual guidance documents or website pages.
It covers areas including TG20, SG4, technical standards, health and safety, training, competence and CISRS requirements.
Crucially, the assistant draws exclusively from NASC and CISRS material, including guidance available only to members and approved CISRS Centres.
Answers also direct users back to the original source material, allowing them to check the guidance themselves.
The system has been introduced to make the organisations’ existing library easier to navigate, particularly when users know the information they need but are unsure which document contains it.
For smaller scaffolding contractors without their own technical department, that could make a noticeable difference when trying to find guidance quickly.
Mark Collinson, Head of Technical at NASC, said: “The guidance has always been there, but knowing exactly where to look for it has not always been straightforward, particularly for smaller businesses without a dedicated technical resource.
“This gives members a much quicker route to the right information, and it always points back to the source document so you can check it for yourself.
“It is not a replacement for reading the guidance properly, but it makes finding the right part of it far easier.”
The distinction is an important one. The assistant is designed as a way into NASC and CISRS guidance rather than an alternative to the documents themselves.
It also avoids one of the more obvious problems with general-purpose AI tools by restricting its information source to material produced by NASC and CISRS.
The assistant is available now to NASC members and CISRS Centres.
Users can access it through the round icon in the bottom-right corner of either organisation’s website. The icon is red on the NASC website and orange on the CISRS website.
